Shrub growth decreases as winter temps warm up
Seattle WA (SPX) May 22, 2014 -
Many have assumed that warmer winters as a result of climate change would increase the growth of trees and shrubs because the growing season would be longer. But shrubs achieve less yearly growth when cold winter temperatures are interrupted by temperatures warm enough to trigger growth.
"When winter temperatures fluctuate between being cold and warm enough for growth, plants deplete their ...
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Antarctica's ice losses on the rise
Leeds, UK (SPX) May 23, 2014 -
Three years of observations show that the Antarctic ice sheet is now losing 159 billion tonnes of ice each year - twice as much as when it was last surveyed. A team of scientists from the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, led by researchers at the University of Leeds, have produced the first complete assessment of Antarctic ice sheet elevation change.
They used measurements co ...
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Fairy circles apparently not created by termites after all
Leipzig, Germany (SPX) May 23, 2014 -
For several decades scientists have been trying to come up with an explanation for the formation of the enigmatic, vegetation-free circles frequently found in certain African grassland regions. Now researchers have tested different prevailing hypotheses as to their respective plausibility.
For the first time they have carried out a detailed analysis of the spatial distribution of these fai ...
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With climate changing, Southern plants do better than Northern locals
Davis CA (SPX) May 22, 2014 -
Can plants and animals evolve to keep pace with climate change? A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that for at least one widely-studied plant, the European climate is changing fast enough that strains from Southern Europe already grow better in the north than established local varieties.
Small and fast-growing, Arabidopsis thaliana is wid ...
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Better science for better fisheries management
Boston, MA (SPX) May 22, 2014 -
Cod fishing in New England has steadily declined over the past three decades. It's estimated that hundreds of people have lost their jobs as a result and that continued failure to rebuild the fishery could cost the region's economy a total of $200 million, according to the New England Fishery Management Council.
But the big concern is really one of culture, according to Northeastern's Jon ...
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The Added Value of Local Food Hubs
Santa Barbara CA (SPX) May 22, 2014 -
As the largest purchaser of wholesale produce in Santa Barbara County, UC Santa Barbara's residential dining services provided the perfect avenue for a pilot project incorporating local pesticide-free or certified organic produce into an institutional setting.
The idea was conceived almost 10 years ago, when a group of students approached environmental studies professor David Cleveland abo ...
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Big drop in wintertime fog needed by fruit and nut crops
Berkeley CA (SPX) May 22, 2014 -
California's winter tule fog - hated by drivers, but needed by fruit and nut trees - has declined dramatically over the past three decades, raising a red flag for the state's multibillion dollar agricultural industry, according to researchers at UC Berkeley.
Crops such as almonds, pistachios, cherries, apricots and peaches go through a necessary winter dormant period brought on and maintai ...
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Public interest in climate unshaken by scandal, but unstirred by science
Princeton NJ (SPX) May 23, 2014 -
The good news for any passionate supporter of climate-change science is that negative media reports seem to have only a passing effect on public opinion, according to Princeton University and University of Oxford researchers. The bad news is that positive stories don't appear to possess much staying power, either. This dynamic suggests that climate scientists should reexamine how to effectively ...
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WTO rejects Canada, Norway appeal against EU seal import ban
Geneva (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
The WTO on Thursday upheld a European Union ban on imports of seal products, rejecting an appeal by Canada and Norway, in a landmark ruling that said animal welfare can trump trade.
The World Trade Organization's appellate body said that Brussels did not breach the rules of global commerce when it imposed its ban in 2010.
The global body has never before issued a final decision on how to ...
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US sends in another warship ahead of Ukraine vote
Kiev (AFP) May 21, 2014 -
The United States is sending another warship to the Black Sea to reassure its allies over Russia's actions in Ukraine, where the country holds a crucial presidential election at the weekend.
Washington also said Tuesday there was no sign of a Russian withdrawal of troops from the edge of Ukraine, despite Moscow's announcement of a pullout and suggestions from Kiev that there was no longer an ...
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Thales to produce A400M flight simulator for Britain
London (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
A second full-flight simulator for the Airbus A400M military transport is to be produced by Thales for use by Britain's Royal Air Force.
Thales said the contract was issued by Airbus Defense and Space. It gave no specific dollar value but said it was worth millions of dollars.
The A400M is a four-engine turboprop airlifter introduced into service last year. It has a cruise speed ...
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Infor, BAE Systems strike deal on software
Arlington, Va. (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
BAE Systems is to install and operate software solutions from Infor for U.S. Federal agencies under a strategic partnership between the two companies.
The system is called Enterprise Resource Planning, which can consolidate networks by integrating departments and functions across an organization or agency onto one computer system. Included in the ERP solution are Infor Public Sector (Ha ...
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China opens multilateral approach to Africa with $2bn fund
Kigali (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
China and the African Development Bank (AfDB) agreed Thursday a co-financing fund worth $2 billion over 10 years, a multilateral deal signalling a shift in Beijing's policy of dealing direct with countries.
The deal, Beijing's latest economic push on the continent, sets up the fund between the People's Bank of China and the AfDB to finance "sovereign and non-sovereign guaranteed development ...
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Information-sharing set for Cyber Squared clients in Europe
Arlington, Va. (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
U.S. Security technology company Cyber Squared Inc. is establishng a users community of European organizations using its ThreatConnect intelligence platform.
The ThreatConnect European Community is to facilitate a public-private industry partnership for working with other members to aggregate knowledge of common cyber threats for a proactive defense against them, the company said.
...
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Information-sharing set for Cyber Squared clients in Europe
Arlington, Va. (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
U.S. Security technology company Cyber Squared Inc. is establishng a users community of European organizations using its ThreatConnect intelligence platform.
The ThreatConnect European Community is to facilitate a public-private industry partnership for working with other members to aggregate knowledge of common cyber threats for a proactive defense against them, the company said.
...
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Biden hails Cyprus as 'key partner' after reunification talks
Nicosia (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
US Vice President Joe Biden Thursday hailed Cyprus as a "key partner" and said its rival leaders had agreed to "speed up" efforts to end the island's 40-year division.
Biden ended his visit, the highest level by a US official to Cyprus since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1962, late on Thursday, leaving for the airport after meeting Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders.
"Cyprus is a key partner in a ...
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The U.S. Navy has contracted Harris Corporation for next-gen radios
Melbourne, Fla. (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
Harris Corporation reports it will begin delivering its Falcon III Multi-channel Manpack tactical radio to the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command this fall.
Delivery of the system comes under an initial order for the next-generation system, which Harris calls the smallest, lightest and most capable two-channel manpack radio available on the market.
"The new Harris Multi-channel M ...
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Atlas 5 rocket powers clandestine satellite launch
Cape Canaveral, Fla. (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
Private space company United Launch Alliance launched its Atlas 5 rocket Thursday morning, carrying with it one of the United States' newest spy satellites - the company's latest mission for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
The rocket successfully blasted off at just after 9 a.m. EST, taking flight from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It's the fourth successful mis ...
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Iran nuclear deal 'very likely' by July deadline: Rouhani
Shanghai (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
Talks between Iran and six world powers on a comprehensive deal over its nuclear programme are "very likely" to reach a successful conclusion by a July 20 deadline, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Thursday.
"The signs that we have been receiving in the last few days are telling us we are very likely to come to an agreement by the end of July," Rouhani told reporters in Shanghai, speaki ...
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China, Russia veto UN attempt to refer Syria to ICC
United Nations, United States (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
China and Russia vetoed Thursday a draft UN Security Council resolution to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court for crimes committed by both sides in the three-year civil war.
Western powers pressed for the resolution in the face of mounting atrocities in Syria, including chemical attacks, systematic torture, barrel bombings and blocked aid access.
It was the fourth time China ...
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Iraq attacks on Shiite pilgrims kill 16
Baghdad (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
A series of bombings targeting Shiite pilgrims, including by a suicide attacker disguised as a woman, killed 16 people in Baghdad Thursday despite heavy security across the capital.
The blasts are the latest in a protracted surge of nationwide bloodshed that has left more than 3,600 people dead this year, fuelling fears Iraq is slipping back into the brutal communal bloodshed that blighted t ...
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Malaysia stresses China ties despite Asian rows
Tokyo (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has distanced himself from growing territorial conflicts in Asia, telling a Japanese newspaper they should not jeopardise the "strategic importance" of his country's ties with Beijing.
"We must look at the big picture and not define relations with China on a single-issue basis but look at the broad spectrum of the relations, and recognise the strategic im ...
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Lockheed Martin receives orders for Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds
Archbald, Pa. (UPI) May 22, 2013 -
The U.S. and Canada have ordered Lockheed Martin's Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds, which imitate the characteristics of the Paveway II weapons system.
Lockheed Martin said the two separate contracts have a combined value of $34.3 million.
The contract from the U.S. Navy for the training rounds is a follow-on award, and the second order of the training rounds against a 2013 ...
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'Hundreds' held as anti-China riots quelled: Vietnam
Manila (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
Hundreds of people have been arrested in a government crackdown after deadly riots targeting Chinese people in Vietnam, senior Vietnamese officials said Thursday, warning anyone found in breach of the law would face tough punishment.
"The Vietnamese government has... contained the acts of law infringement and (will) strictly punish violators in accordance with the law," Prime Minister Nguyen ...
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Syria army breaks year-old Aleppo prison siege
Damascus (AFP) May 22, 2014 -
Syria's army broke a siege of Aleppo prison Thursday, cutting off a major rebel supply route, as Damascus allies China and Russia vetoed a bid to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court.
The Western-proposed UN Security Council resolution, which would have covered war crimes committed by both sides in the civil war, comes less than a fortnight before President Bashar al-Assad's expe ...
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